fatuous

[ fach-oo-uhs ]

adjective

1. foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly; witless.

   Synonyms: dull-witted, dull, dense, dim, brainless

2. Archaic. unreal; illusory.

fatuous

/ ˈfætjʊəs /

adjective

1. complacently or inanely foolish

Derived Forms

• ˈfatuously, adverb
• ˈfatuousness, noun

Other Words From

• fat·u·ous·ly adverb
• fat·u·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fatuous¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin fatuus “silly, foolish, idiotic”; -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of fatuous¹

C17: from Latin fatuus ; related to fatiscere to gape

Example Sentences

Surely Americans, who are by our own fatuous self-definition fundamentally decent, would never attempt the unthinkable, no matter how angry.

From Washington Post

On the face of it moving the talent to Soho can seem fatuous.

From The Daily Beast

During one break in the filming, he was a fatuous British director, “exploring the essence of what we call cinema!”

From The Daily Beast

And “alkalinizing” someone in an attempt to improve their health is simple-minded, fatuous, and dangerous.

From The Daily Beast

I also won't repeat, or defend him against, all the fatuous charges leveled against him.

From The Daily Beast

"They obliterated it with some fatuous piece of commentary about something else," Gough told the Guardian.

From The Daily Beast

Each day he was sending serenely confident telegrams to Calcutta and receiving equally reassuring ones from a fatuous Viceroy.

From Project Gutenberg

If he be a little less than perfectly sincere he runs risk of being pretentious, fatuous even.

From Project Gutenberg

It was his great merit that at these moments, and in the presence of other people, he betrayed no fatuous emotion.

From Project Gutenberg

From its fatuous dream the nation was awakened by the noise of arms, the shrieks of women and the red glare of burning cities.

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Makely was one of those fatuous women whose eagerness to make a point excludes the consideration even of their own advantage.

From Project Gutenberg

When To Use

What are other ways to say fatuous?

The adjective fatuous describes people or things that are foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner. Do you know when to use fatuous, foolish, silly, inane, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.